Hymns by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette

For Freedom, Christ Has Set Us Free
ELLACOMBE (8.6.8.6 D)
("I Sing the Mighty Power of God"; "Hail To the Lord's Anointed")

"For freedom, Christ has set us free!"
What joy is ours to claim!
No more enslaved, humanity
Finds life in Jesus' name.
We try, Lord, to be justified
Through all the works we do.
Yet you adopt us, saying, "Child,
It's Christ who makes you new."

We're clothed in Christ and we belong;
Now no one waits outside.
In him we find our common song;
Old ways no more divide.
"It is no longer I who live,
But Christ who lives in me."
He died for us, new life to give —
And new identity.

Now, Spirit-filled, may we be led
From ways that would destroy.
May we your people turn instead
To lives of love and joy.
May we find peace that makes us whole
And patience everywhere.
God, give us kindness, self-control,
And hearts and hands that share.

Biblical Reference: Galatians 5:1, 19, 22-23
Tune: Gesangbuch der Herzoglich Wirtembergischen Katholischen Hofkapelle, 1784; adapted and harmonized by William Henry Monk, 1868 ("I Sing the Mighty Power of God"; "Hail To the Lord's Anointed")
Text: Copyright © 2000 by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. All rights reserved.
Copied from Songs of Grace: New Hymns for God and Neighbor by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette (Upper Room Books, 2009).
Email: bcgillette@comcast.net     New Hymns: www.carolynshymns.com/

Hymn Use Permission: Songs of Grace: New Hymns for God and Neighbor by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette (Upper Room Books, 2009) includes a permission note for those who own this book to use this hymn (along with the 76 other new hymns in the book) in their local church's worship services. People who do not own Songs of Grace are asked to contact Carolyn (bcgillette@comcast.net) for permission to use the hymn and to get a copy of the hymn formatted for worship bulletin use.


Hymn Note for "For Freedom, Christ Has Set Us Free"

This hymn was written at the Synod School of the PC(USA) Synod of the Trinity (Pennsylvania, and portions of Ohio and West Virginia), after a class that was taught by Dr. Charles Myers on Galatians. It lifts up some of the wonderful themes of that New Testament letter.

Galatians reminds us that all the work we do to justify ourselves in the sight of God comes to nothing, and then God reaches out and says, "My child! You belong to me!" Specifically, Galatians 4:4-7 puts it this way: "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children." What a wonderful gift it is for any child without a home to be adopted by a loving parent or parents. Adoption websites often highlight children in need of homes by saying, "This child is looking forward to having a 'forever home' and a 'forever family.'" We have a forever home and a forever family because of God's love for us in Jesus Christ. The last verse of this hymn points to the "fruit of the Spirit" found in Galatians 5:22-23: "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." What is it like, for you, to have a new identity in Jesus Christ? What fruit are you bearing because of God's love today?

Copied from Songs of Grace: New Hymns for God and Neighbor by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette (Upper Room Books, 2009).